Coaching Culture

Over recent years, Toward has avidly followed the emergence of the conceptof the “Coaching Culture” and has become increasingly involved in supportingclients who are engaged on a journey towards developing their own, authenticcoaching culture.

This document sets out our view of the components of an organisationalcoaching culture and the Toward bespoke models which underpin our core service offerings and so facilitate a thriving coaching culture.

towardltd.com

Coaching Culture

Over recent years, Toward has avidly followed the emergence of the conceptof the “Coaching Culture” and has become increasingly involved in supportingclients who are engaged on a journey towards developing their own, authenticcoaching culture.

This document sets out our view of the components of an organisationalcoaching culture and the Toward bespoke models which underpin our core service offerings and so facilitate a thriving coaching culture.

Our Point of View

The adoption of a coaching culture is becoming increasingly recognised as a key lever to achieving strategic priorities. Organisations, which adopt a coaching style as a way ofworking across all levels, create an environment where potential can be unleashed and realised and performance heightened.

A coaching culture, is one where ‘the principles, beliefs and mind-sets drivingpeople’s behaviour in the workplace are deeply rooted in the discipline of coaching’ (Clutterbuck, Megginson & Bajer, 2016).

For successful integration and implementation of a coaching culture, senior leaders play a significant role. They must role model both a coaching approach in their leadership towards others, as well as role modelling a desire to be coached themselves. This creates the underpinning environment in whichcoaching, as a style of interacting and working can flourish and become thenorm or “how we do things around here”.

As organisations move beyond traditional forms of performance management, KPI’s, and formal appraisals, towards a matrix, agile focus, coaching becomes a key enabler of more fluid, continuous feedback and development interactions. This fuels a steady stream of individual, team and organisational learning, which can be captured anecdotally via organisational narratives and stories, or through any number of more formal procedures (i.e. daily ‘standups’,internal message boards, social media or knowledge and learningmanagement systems).

Our model for building a coaching culture within an organisation is based on four core concepts and sets out for each the:

Beliefs and mindsets required by people in the organisation for coaching to flourish

Core principles by which people engage with each other

Visible manifestations ie. those “tangible” processes and easily identified behaviours which demonstrate that coaching is an integral part of how the business operates

Toward Coaching Culture Toward Coaching Culture

TowardCoaching Culture

‘ The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing ’ — Socrates

Leadership Programmeswith powerful coaching inputsbuild internal capability

Toward knowledge based Experiential learning processesusing coaching methodologies to buildcapability and confidence in the coachingenvironment

Team Coaching & Executive Coaching Processes

build capability, performance and confidence in operating in a

coaching environment

Robust Toward Evaluation processes

measure progress and outcomes in the wider organisational culture

change context

Coaching Culture

Concept 1: Safety

This relates to the extent to which members of an organisation feel safe andsecure to be their authentic self at work. There is congruence between the psychological contract and reality which people experience every day. Each individual feels able to express opinion, challenge, disclose appropriately and take ownership without fear of sanction or reprimand.

Suggested practices to promote Safety:

1. Consistency and predictability in both processes and behaviours: high levels of individual emotional control, rhythm of meetings and performance conversations.

2. Leaders use a non-directive coaching style and role model behaviours.

3. Purposeful time is protected for different types of conversation that will deepen relationships and build trust.

4. Contracts/charters provide clear guidelines as to what is expected of each individual, both in terms of professional role and personal behaviour.

Toward Coaching Culture Toward Coaching Culture

Beliefs & Mindsets Core Principles Visible Manifestations

- It is safe to express personal opinions and points of view

- It is safe for interpersonalrisk taking

- Team members are accepted and respected

- Respect is considered theright of each individual,rather than something thathas to be earned

- Ethical issues are governedby the accepted principlesof right and wrong

- Confidentiality in coachingconversations is understood and upheld

- Each member of the teamis ‘emotionally mature’, andunderstands the boundaries between fun and inappropriatebehaviour

- There is a clearly articulated ‘ charter’, which highlights values,vision and behaviours

- Contracting and recontractingconversations occur

- Senior leaders help to create a safe environment by role-modellingnecessary behaviours (e.g. consist-ency and predictability)

- Team members challenge each other’s understanding, conclusions and assumptions respectfully

Concept 2: Connection

To truly build a coaching culture with depth and impact, it is critical to buildhigh quality relationships with colleagues. When leaders demonstrate they arecommitted to, curious about, and invested in their relationships, this promotespsychological safety. This concept is where the core coaching skills of listening, building rapport and asking open, curious questions come to the fore.

Suggested practices to promote Connection:

1. Invite an external in to coach you as a team, in order to provide feedback on the dynamics and relationships within the team.

2. Build your coaching capability by working on and practicing the core skills of coaching (i.e. listening, questioning, building rapport, providing feedback) you will increase your ability to authentically connect with others.

3. Display you are interested in the performance of individuals, and in the quality of your relationship.

4. Contracts/charters provide clear guidelines as to what is expected of each individual, both in terms of professional role and personal behaviour.

Beliefs & Mindsets Core Principles Visible Manifestations

- People possess the resources they need to experience better outcomes than they currently are

- I am interested in investing in myrelationship with this person beyond the transactional

- People hunger for the type of ‘real’connection with another person inwhich they feel they are really beinglistened to and acknowledged

- People take an interest in the‘whole’ person, not just the onewho shows up at work

- We foster an optimistic outlook, in which fear and blame are irrelevant and other possibilitiesexist

- There is a dominant mindset of ‘unconditional positive regard’

- A coaching approach becomes the dominant leadership style

- Informal, on-line coaching sessions are the norm

- Time is dedicated to social conversation, away from the office environment and with a focus on developing relationships and enjoying each other’scompany.

Concept 3: Openness to Challenge

The key characteristics of this concept are enquiry and humility. Each individualis aware that they have their own unique view on the world, which has beenshaped by their history. When this concept is demonstrated within a coachingculture, disagreement is resolved in an adult way, positive intentions behind thechallenge are clearly articulated, and feedback is given and receivedrespectfully with the aim of minimising blind spots and challenging limitingbeliefs. This results in continuous learning.

Suggested practices to promote Openness to Challenge:

1. Introduce a feedback model that will provide people with a tool to help them structure their feedback message.

2. Appoint a ‘Devil’s Advocate’ intentionally at selected meetings to challenge processes and ideas.

3. Use problem solving and innovation processes to challenge assumptions and established ways of working.

4. Build team members capability and skill in coaching each other.

Toward Coaching Culture

Beliefs & Mindsets Core Principles Visible Manifestations

- Each individual view onthe world is only one view, and has been coloured by pastexperience. It is not theonly truth

- Challenge from peers iswith the intention of exploring other possibilities

- The path to good solutions is lead through enquiry

- People openly share what theythink, how they feel and what their intentions are

- People continually challenge andstretch themselves and others

- Curiosity: asking good questions is as important as finding goodanswers

- People seek feedback frompeers, stakeholders andcustomers.

- Frequently providing and seekingfeedback and seeing it as an opportunity to improve

- Admitting mistakes and learning from them

- Specific, robust conversation iscommon

- Strong customer relationships built on openness and honesty

Concept 4: Resourcing the Adult

A culture, which is high in challenge and high in support, empowers people totake responsibility for their own actions and decisions. Cultures where peopleare free to conduct their work in an autonomous manner are typically moreengaged, innovative and display more discretionary effort, while incidences ofblame, excuse and victimhood decrease. Autonomy suggests that trust exists,and people have the freedom and ability to take ‘adult’ responsibility.

Suggested practices to promote Resourcing the Adult:

1. Adopt a coaching style of leadership in which each person coaches another to reach desired outcomes.

2. Requirement to conduct x amount of coaching per month.

3. Ask people what they would like to do more of or less of in their work.

4. Seek opportunities to involve people in projects where they can assume ownership for specific areas.

5. Encourage team members to use respectful challenge and celebrate each other’s successes.

Toward Coaching Culture

Beliefs & Mindsets Core Principles Visible Manifestations

- People can achieve their best by being challenged and supported

- Unconditional positive regard (i.e. the belief that all people havethe internal resources required for personal growth)

- You have control over your own life, and are capable of experiencing better outcomes than you currently are

- People have the potential to grow and develop, and it is theirresponsibility to tap into that potential (both in themselves and in others)

- Relationships function optimally in an equal power dynamic (i.e.adult-adult)

- You are responsible for articulating what it is that you want and need

- Supporting, but also challenging, team members with the aim of helping them to grow and develop

- People help each other reach their own solutions before jumping in with advice and opinions

- People protect their own bound-aries, taking full responsibility for what they say ‘yes’ and no ‘to’

- People own projects, and there is a regular rhythm of conversations in which people articulate whatit is they need of their colleagues

- Positive performance indicators due to full engagement of the team

We create space.We develop leaders.We coach teams.

We create space.We develop leaders.We coach teams.

Telephone (0)28 9065 2325 Email info@towardltd.comTwitter @TowardLtd Web towardltd.com